Frozen Flashes
by Quotemaster2000
Summary: This is a series of scenes that could have been in the movie, but aren't. The idea is to take a deeper look at the characters in a way that the written format allows. If I were writing a novelization of Frozen, these are the kind of things I would add.
1. The King and Kai

_This scene takes place just before "Do You Want to Build a Snowman."_

 **The King and Kai**

The sun was beginning to rise over the mountains east of Arendelle when the royal family arrived back at the castle on their horses. The king rode with eight-year-old Princess Elsa, while the queen cradled the sleeping five-year-old Princess Anna in her arms. They had given little explanation for their hasty departure in the middle of the night, leaving the palace servants anxious and worried. Virtually their entire staff was waiting for them when they rode into the courtyard. The king could see their confused expressions, and wished there was something he could say to reassure them. Unfortunately, he feared revealing the truth would do more harm than maintaining his secrecy.

As they brought their horses to a stop, the few servants who had duties to perform approached, while the rest stood uncertainly. The king swung down from his horse and then lifted Elsa off the saddle to the ground. The queen handed Anna down to her trusted maid Gerda, before dismounting from her horse. Stable hands led the horses away to their stalls.

"Come along, Elsa," the queen said softly, reaching for her older daughter's hand.

Elsa hesitated and looked up at her father. "I'm sorry, Papa," she said sadly, almost in tears.

The king knelt down to look Elsa in the eye. "It will be okay," he said. "Now, go on."

As the king stood watching his family disappear into the castle, his steward, Kai, approached.

"Is everything all right, your majesty?" Kai asked.

The king let out a heavy sigh. "Walk with me, Kai," he replied, starting toward the castle.

Kai could tell the king was troubled, and he didn't speak again until they were inside the castle and out of earshot of the servants that had gathered in the courtyard.

"There was an accident," the king began. "Anna was hurt, but she will be fine. However, we are going to have to make some changes."

"What sort of changes, your majesty?" Kai asked.

"First of all, Elsa is going to need her own room. The girls need their rest right now, especially Anna, but after they wake up, all of Elsa's things need to be moved into one of the other bedrooms."

"Are you sure that's necessary, sire?" Kai asked, surprised at the order. "The girls are quite fond of one another."

"Yes, I know," the king replied, "and it breaks my heart to separate them, but, I'm afraid it is absolutely necessary, at least for now."

Kai was silent for a moment, considering what the king had said.

"Forgive me for asking, your majesty," Kai began, choosing his words carefully, "but does all this have anything to do with Princess Elsa's magic powers."

The king stopped suddenly and faced Kai. "You know?"

"The ballroom was filled with snow and ice, your majesty, and it wasn't the first time I've noticed something like this. I've had my suspicions for some time, but I assumed you had your reasons for never mentioning it."

The king motioned for Kai to follow him and led him up the stairs and into the library, closing the doors behind them. He took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Elsa was born with powers to create ice and snow, and those powers have gotten stronger. I know Elsa's been using her powers in the castle to entertain Anna, and I've told her she needs to be more careful. Tonight, the girls snuck down to the ballroom to play, and Elsa accidently struck Anna with her powers." The king noticed the ancient book and map lying where he had left them and picked them up. "That's why we had to rush off so suddenly. The trolls in the Valley of the Living Rock were able to heal Anna, but only by removing all her memories of Elsa's magic."

"So, Anna doesn't know about her sister's powers" Kai asked.

"Not anymore," the king replied, returning the book to its place on the shelf. "And it must stay that way. I don't believe the trolls would have taken such a drastic step if it wasn't necessary to save her. I worry that learning about Elsa's powers again might be harmful to Anna. I will not risk Anna's life."

"What about Elsa, your majesty?"

"Elsa feels terrible about hurting Anna, and she understands why we have to separate them. She knows she must learn to control her powers, and in time she will. I will do everything in my power to help her. But until then, it is in everyone's best interest to limit her contact with others, including Anna. Elsa would never intentionally hurt anyone, especially Anna, but if she can accidentally hurt Anna, she could accidentally hurt anyone. And this brings me to my next order. Until further notice, the castle gates are to remain closed, with no one allowed inside without royal approval."

"That will be quite a shock to the people, sire," Kai said. "What will we tell them?"

"I honestly don't know yet," the king replied. "We can't tell them the truth. Someday Elsa will be queen. I don't want the people to fear her."

"Do you intend for Elsa to keep her powers a secret forever?"

"I would like to think that once she has learned control, she could reveal the truth if she wanted to, but I don't know what that would do to Anna. Elsa would never want to do anything that might hurt her sister."

"What should I tell the palace staff, your majesty?"

"Ah, yes, the staff," the king sighed. "Obviously, with the palace gates closed, we won't need as large a staff. Reducing the staff to a minimum will reduce the risks to everyone. Does anyone else know about Elsa's powers?"

"Gerda may suspect, sire. She has spent more time with Elsa than anyone. I don't know about anyone else."

"Find out if anyone else knows, but do so discreetly. I want you to figure out who is essential, and if anyone else knows about Elsa's powers, it will be easier to keep them from spreading rumors if they are still working in the castle. As for the rest, help them to find new jobs outside the castle, and continue to pay them until they do. This is not their fault, and I don't want them to suffer."

"Of course, your majesty."

"One last thing, Kai."

"Yes, sire."

"I want to make it clear that all this is only temporary. Once Elsa has learned to control her powers, we can reopen the gates and rehire the staff, and the girls can be together again."

Kai nodded to the king, and turned toward the door. He knew he had a long day ahead of him as he stepped into the corridor, shutting the door behind him.

The king sat down in a chair, finally alone with his thoughts for a moment. The light from the rising sun was starting to stream through the bay window, illuminating the portrait of his coronation. He looked up at the portrait and remembered how nervous and unsure of himself he was that day. He had been a young king, and wasn't sure he was ready for the responsibility of ruling a kingdom. He couldn't have imagined that his greatest challenge would be not as a king, but as a father. He wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing, but he had to do something. If he turned out to be wrong, he hoped his daughters would understand someday. He reminded himself that the situation was only temporary, and hoped that he was at least right about that.


	2. Behind Closed Doors

_This takes places before and during the last verse of "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" You might cry. Go ahead. I won't judge._

 **Behind Closed Doors**

Princess Elsa nervously paced back and forth in her bedroom. Several days had passed since her parents were due back from their trip, and there was still no word of what had happened to them. Every available ship in Arendelle had been sent out in search of the king and queen. With every passing day, Elsa became more worried and fearful, and it became harder and harder to keep her powers under control. The window was covered with a thin layer of frost, and Elsa had been wearing the same clothes for days because her wardrobe was frozen shut. No one noticed, though, because Elsa hadn't left her room in days, either.

Before her parents left, Elsa had made a lot of progress learning to control her powers, but now she couldn't risk leaving her room without spreading ice throughout the castle. She really could have used a distraction, too. A visit to the library to read or some time playing the piano might have helped keep her from worrying, at least for a little while. But in her room there was nothing to do but worry and pace.

There was a knock at the door, and Elsa stopped in her tracks. Every knock at the door triggered a rush of emotions as the possibilities flashed through Elsa's mind. It was probably nothing, but what if it was news? Would it be good news? Had they been found? Were they home? Were they on the other side of the door knocking? Or would it be bad news? Elsa couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She had to know, and yet the thought of finding out terrified her. Frost began to appear on the walls. There was another knock.

"Princess Elsa," came a voice from the other side of the door. It was Kai's voice. "I have some news."

Elsa recognized the tone in Kai's voice, and her heart sank. It wasn't good news. Snowflakes began to fall from the ceiling. Slowly she stepped toward the door. Her gloved hand trembled as she reached for the handle. She opened the door just a crack. Kai could barely stand to look her in the eye.

"Your highness," Kai began, "one of our ships has returned. It found drifting wreckage." Kai held up a tattered piece of green and purple cloth bearing the image in gold of a crocus surrounded by rosemaling. "This was still attached to the top of a broken mast."

Elsa recognized the cloth. It was the royal standard. Only one ship would have been flying it.

"From the amount of wreckage," Kai continued, "I'm afraid there is no longer any doubt..." Kai hesitated, struggling to hold back tears. "...that the king and queen have been lost."

For a moment, Elsa couldn't react at all. She just stood there, looking out from behind the door at the flag in Kai's hands. Then the reality began to sink in. They were gone. She looked up at Kai and saw the sadness in his face. Her eyes began to well up with tears.

"I'm so very sorry, your highness," Kai said.

Elsa suddenly slammed the door shut and began to cry. Her legs started to wobble and she leaned up against the door and sank to the floor.

"I will inform Princess Anna," Kai said sadly from the other side of the door.

Elsa wanted to stop Kai. She should be the one to tell Anna, she thought. For a moment, she had forgotten about her powers. She just knew that her sister needed her. Then she looked around her room to see frost spreading to cover everything and remembered. She buried her face in her gloved hands and cried even harder.

Elsa wasn't sure how much time had passed when there was another knock at the door.

"Elsa..." It was Anna.

It had been years since Anna had last knocked on Elsa's door. She used to come to Elsa's door all the time, trying to get her sister to come out and play with her, but Elsa never came out, and after years of Elsa telling her to go away, Anna eventually stopped trying. Even though it had been hard to keep disappointing Anna, there was a part of Elsa that missed Anna knocking on her door. As long as Anna kept trying, Elsa knew she still cared. Since she'd stopped, Elsa wasn't sure anymore. Sometimes Elsa had found herself wishing Anna would come to the door, even though she knew she would just have to disappoint her again, just so she could hear Anna's voice and know that she still cared enough to try. Now, Anna was outside the door again, but this time it was different.

"Elsa, please, open the door," Anna said through tears.

Elsa was still sitting on the floor in front of the door. She wanted more than anything to open the door. But, how could she? There was too much to explain; too much that Anna couldn't know, for her own good.

"Please, Elsa, I... I just need... I feel so alone."

Elsa had wanted to hear Anna's voice, but not like this. She sounded so sad, and so desperate, but there was nothing Elsa could do without making things so much worse. It was emotional torture for Elsa. She couldn't bear it. She wanted it to stop. She just wanted Anna to go away, and she hated herself for wanting that.

"Elsa, just... just say something, please."

Elsa couldn't think of anything she could say. There were no words that would make this better. There was nothing Elsa could say that would make up for not being able to open the door.

Anna didn't say anything else but Elsa could hear her sobbing outside the door. Eventually, she heard Anna walk away. Disgusted with herself, she curled up the floor and cried herself to sleep.

Elsa remained in her room and refused to open the door for anyone. Kai tried to discuss memorial arrangements for the king and queen with her, but she ignored him, so the responsibility fell to Anna. The fifteen-year-old princess was usually energetic and upbeat, but now seemed lost as she sadly wandered the palace, gravitating to wherever the few remaining servants were working. The memorial plans were largely dictated by tradition, but they at least gave Anna something to occupy herself with. The biggest decision that needed to be made was when to have the memorial service. Technically, there was no pressing need to have the service promptly, as the bodies of the king and queen were never found and Elsa would not be old enough to officially take the throne for three years. Anna ultimately decided it would be best to have it sooner rather than later, so that the kingdom could have closure, and before any foreign dignitaries could arrive and use the service as an excuse to pry into Arendelle's succession plans. Anna knew Elsa was in no condition to deal with foreign affairs. Besides, the king's order to keep the castle closed still stood, and now only Elsa had the power to change it.

The day of the memorial service arrived, and Elsa still hadn't come out of her room. Kai had kept her informed about the plans for the service, but she never gave any kind of response.

Dressed in black, Anna approached the door to Elsa's room. She took a deep breath and knocked.

"Elsa, it's time for the..." Anna started but choked up as she heard the words coming out of her own mouth. It was so final. She tried again. "It's time to go."

There was no answer.

"I know it's hard, but you should be there."

Anna looked over at Kai, who was standing at the top of the stairs waiting to escort her.

"I don't think she's coming, your highness," Kai said.

Anna leaned against Elsa's door and sighed. No matter how difficult it was for her sister, Anna couldn't understand how Elsa could skip their parents' memorial service. Anna couldn't imagine not going. She knew Elsa loved them. It didn't make any sense to her.

"Please come, Elsa," Anna said, fighting back tears. "For them. For me."

Anna tried to listen for any sound on the other side of the door, but heard nothing.

"Princess Anna, we need to go," Kai said. "People will be waiting."

Anna nodded and walked away from Elsa's door. At the top of the stairs she paused and looked back over her shoulder, hoping to see her sister appear at the last second. But the door remained closed, and Anna turned away and started down the stairs.

The memorial service was an almost surreal experience for Anna. When she arrived at the overlook, the assembled crowd suddenly fell silent. As she walked among them, everyone she encountered seemed friendly and supportive. People said how sorry they were, and how much the king and queen would be missed. They told Anna to be strong and have courage. But after she passed by, Anna could hear them whispering behind her. Even though she couldn't make out most of the words, she knew what they were talking about. They were wondering where Elsa was, and why she wasn't there. A few people actually asked her about Elsa, and Anna wasn't sure what to say. Fortunately, Kai would cut in and say that Elsa was deep in mourning, but it didn't seem to satisfy them. Anna wished there was a better answer, but she didn't have one. They looked at her as if she was hiding something from them. She was surrounded by people, but had never felt so alone.

As Anna stood alone between her parents' headstones, listening to the bishop deliver the service, she glanced up and looked at the faces of the crowd. In addition to expressions of sadness, she also saw uncertainty, confusion, and fear. She began to realize why the people were so concerned that Elsa wasn't there. They needed a leader to assure them that everything would be all right. Elsa was the heir to the throne, and even though she wouldn't be of age for three more years, the people already considered her their queen. But their queen wasn't there. There was nothing Anna could say to them. She couldn't tell them everything would be okay when she wasn't sure herself. She needed Elsa's reassurance as much as anyone.

After the service, Anna remained at the overlook until everyone else had gone. Kai patiently waited in the distance to escort her back to castle. She stood alone, staring at the words carved into the headstones. She was starting to grasp the new reality of her life.

"Now what?" she whispered. "What do I do now? And Elsa... I'm all she has left. Why won't she let me in?"

Anna stood silently, waiting for answers she knew would never come. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she wiped them away with her fingers. She took a deep breath.

"I wish you were here. I miss you so much. I love you."

Anna sadly turned around and slowly walked away.

When she returned to the palace, Anna decided to try one more time to reach out to Elsa. She slowly walked up to Elsa's door and knocked.

"Elsa..." she said, pressing her hand to the door. It was strangely cold to the touch. "Please, I know you're in there."

As always, there was no response.

"People are asking where you've been," Anna continued. "They say 'have courage,' and I'm trying to."

Anna sighed and tried to listen for any sound from Elsa's room. She didn't hear anything.

"I'm right out here for you. Just let me in." Anna leaned her left shoulder against the door. "We only have each other. It's just you and me." She turned around, put her back against the door and slowly slumped to the floor. "What are we going to do?"

Anna's thoughts drifted back to the last time she could remember when she and Elsa played together. She recalled what she said to persuade a reluctant Elsa into having some fun. Those words never worked after Elsa shut her out, and it had been a long time since she had said them, but she had nothing to lose.

"Do you want to build a snowman?" Anna said, almost breaking down in tears.

Those words haunted Elsa, who sat with her back against the other side of the door with her arms folded against her chest. What for Anna was a happy memory of fun times with her sister, was for Elsa a chilling reminder of why they now had to stay apart that only made her feel worse. If only she had stayed in bed that night like she was supposed to, maybe she never would have struck Anna with her powers and they could be together now. Elsa looked around her frozen bedroom, with frost covering the walls and snowflakes hanging suspended in the air. She buried her face in her arms and sobbed.


	3. The Lost Princess

_This takes place while Anna and Hans are singing "Love is an Open Door."_

 **The Lost Princess**

Elsa's mind wandered as she made small talk with a German dignitary and his wife. The new queen was finding her coronation ball to be rather tedious. A seemingly endless parade of officials, nobles and royals expected a brief audience with her, and all of them made almost identical comments about how beautiful she looked and how lovely the coronation ceremony was and what a wonderful time they were having in Arendelle before mentioning how they were looking forward to a closer relationship between the two lands. Elsa was clever enough to know that this was actually code for wanting to increase trade. And then there were those who tried to casually bring up that their kingdom had a prince who would soon be ready to settle down. Elsa knew what they were hoping for, and though she tried to be polite, she was certain her disdain for the implied propositions was far less subtle then she intended.

This certainly wasn't what Elsa had expected. She had actually been looking forward to having some stimulating conversations with her guests. Elsa was quite intelligent, and she had studied to be prepared to discuss any subject. She knew the history, geography and politics of every land represented. She had acquired and read the latest literature from throughout the world. She had obtained the sheet music of every song the musicians would play, and she had practiced them on her piano until she could knew every melody. Every dish on the menu was something she was familiar with. She had hoped some pleasant discourse would keep her relaxed. All that preparation had turned out to be a waste of time, as no one seemed interested in anything more than exchanging pleasantries or attempting to surreptitiously advance their own agendas.

All this was making Elsa tense. She had been keeping her powers under control all day, which was mentally exhausting. She could feel that she was having to concentrate on her powers more and more as the evening continued, and talking about the weather with the German dignitary's wife was not helping. She wanted to slip away and have some time to herself, but there hadn't been a good opportunity. Besides, Arendelle had a lot to make up for after years of isolation, so she couldn't very well abandon her own party, at least not without her sister there to cover for her. Elsa had hoped that Anna would be able to take her place greeting guests if she needed to take a break to maintain control of her powers, but now the princess was nowhere to be seen.

Elsa kept scanning the room looking for her sister, wondering where Anna had disappeared to. She hadn't seen Anna since she accidently snapped at her. She hadn't meant to. They were having a nice moment, and it was almost like they had never been apart. But then Anna had innocently said something that made Elsa remember why it was better if they stayed apart. Since then, Elsa had been focusing on keeping her powers hidden. She hoped Anna wasn't getting herself into any trouble.

The German diplomat and his wife finally excused themselves. Elsa thought she might have a moment to herself, but Kai immediately brought forward another pair of guests. They were a young couple: a tall dark-haired man with stubble on his chin and a woman about Elsa's height with short brown hair that looked like it had been hastily cut.

"Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene of Corona," Kai announced.

As they bowed, Elsa thought there was something about a princess from Corona that she tried to remember. She recalled that up-to-date information about Corona was difficult to find, and most of what she had read about the kingdom was quite old. She had studied so much in preparation for the coronation, and it was getting difficult to concentrate on anything beyond controlling her powers, but she felt like there was something from years earlier, she just couldn't remember what it was.

"Welcome to Arendelle," Elsa said. "Thank you for coming. Did you enjoy the coronation ceremony?"

"Oh, it was amazing!" Rapunzel replied enthusiastically. "We've never been to a coronation before. It's very exciting!"

Elsa noticed that Eugene rolled his eyes at Rapunzel's energetic response, but at the same time he seemed a bit overwhelmed by his surroundings.

"You'll have to excuse her, your majesty," Eugene said. "We're sort of new to this."

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked.

"Well, I was an orphan..." Eugene began.

"...And I wasn't raised as a princess..." Rapunzel continued.

"...So, going to balls and meeting royalty aren't exactly things we're used to," Eugene finished.

"But we're having a wonderful time," Rapunzel added. "I love the music. It's hard to resist wanting to dance."

"You don't dance?" Elsa asked.

"Oh, no, I love to dance," Rapunzel replied. "I'm just a little clumsy when I try to dance in shoes."

"Besides, I'm not sure we know the right steps," Eugene added. "The music back home seems old-fashioned in comparison. Actually, just about everything in Corona feels that way compared to Arendelle."

"Yeah, Arendelle seems so much more modern than Corona," Rapunzel said.

"Does it really seem that different?" Elsa asked. She knew that even with the castle closed to outsiders, her father had made a point of keeping Arendelle connected to the rest of the world so the people wouldn't miss out on new advances and innovations, but she didn't expect Arendelle to be much more advanced than other places.

"Oh, yes," Rapunzel replied. "The culture in Corona kind of... stagnated for years. The king and queen, actually the whole kingdom, really, became so obsessed with...with..."

"...with finding you..." Eugene interjected.

"...right..." Rapunzel continued. "...that Corona just ended up kind of falling behind. So to make up for that, Eugene and I have been doing a lot of traveling to try and find new ideas that we can bring back home."

Elsa finally realized what it was about a princess from Corona that seemed so familiar to her.

"Wait, Rapunzel, are you the lost princess of Corona?" she asked.

"That's me," Rapunzel replied, blushing slightly.

"I didn't know you had been found." Elsa said. "I remember my father telling me the story when I was a little girl. You were kidnapped as a baby in the middle of the night. What happened?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story, but this woman raised me as her own daughter in a secret tower and kept me hidden from everyone. I didn't find out I was a princess until I was eighteen years old."

"How did you get away?" Elsa asked.

"I actually discovered her tower by accident and rescued her," said Eugene.

"Eugene..." said Rapunzel, rolling her eyes.

"OK, I...I helped her escape," Eugene said.

"Eugene..." Rapunzel said with a much more serious tone as she glared at Eugene.

"All right, fine. She left willingly," Eugene confessed, "but she never would have if it wasn't for me."

"That's true," Rapunzel said. "I wasn't even actually locked in the tower. It just wasn't until I met Eugene that I finally found the confidence to leave. This woman who I thought was my mother had convinced me that terrible things would happen if I ever left the safety of the tower, so I never even tried to leave, even though I desperately wanted to see the outside world."

Elsa wanted to tell Rapunzel that she understood. After all, she had been almost as isolated as Rapunzel had been. But, Elsa realized she would then have to explain about her powers. Even if she was ready to reveal her secret to someone, she doubted that Rapunzel would believe her without a demonstration.

"That sounds terrible," Elsa said. "It must have been hard for you to grow up that way."

"Thank you," said Rapunzel. "The worst part was the loneliness. I was left alone in that tower for hours, sometimes days. I was so desperate for companionship that I started talking to a chameleon that found his way into the tower, but of course a chameleon can't talk back. I would have given anything to have had a sister or brother for company. You and your sister are so lucky to have each other."

"Yes, I suppose we are," Elsa said with a hint of sadness in her voice. Though she knew Rapunzel had meant well, her words still hurt, causing Elsa to think about all the time she and Anna could have spent together, if only she could have controlled her powers. Rapunzel didn't seem to notice the tone in Elsa's response, and kept on talking.

"At least I had a lot of things to do in the tower to keep me busy," Rapunzel continued. "Cooking... baking... knitting... sewing... reading... candle making... brushing my hair..."

"It used to be a lot longer," Eugene said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, and painting! I painted murals on all the walls and even some of the furniture. I love painting."

"You know," Elsa said, "we have a wonderful collection of paintings right here in the castle. Would you like to see them?"

"Really? That would be amazing? We would love to!"

Elsa turned and motioned to one of the palace guards to approach.

"Please show Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene to the art gallery," Elsa said to the guard. She turned back to Rapunzel and Eugene. "I would show you myself, but it would be impolite to leave my own party."

"We understand," Eugene said.

"It was very nice to meet you," added Rapunzel.

They bowed and followed the guard. Elsa watched them walk away. She liked them. She could have spent the entire evening talking to them. She wished she could have joined them in the art gallery. She would have enjoyed talking about art, and she knew every painting, though not as well as Anna did.

Rapunzel reminded Elsa of her sister. She wondered how the years of isolation had affected Anna. She knew it wasn't fair that Anna had to live shut inside the castle, but she also knew she couldn't keep the castle open permanently without her powers eventually being discovered, or worse, hurting someone. Elsa tried to think of a solution that would give Anna more freedom. After all, she was eighteen years old now. Elsa thought perhaps Anna would like to travel, like Rapunzel and Eugene did. Someone would have to represent Arendelle at events in foreign lands, and Elsa knew she couldn't travel herself. She decided to discuss it with Anna later.

Elsa glanced around the room again in search of her sister, who was still nowhere in sight. She sighed as Kai brought forward two more dignitaries to meet her.


	4. The Art of Negotiation

_This short extension of the scene at Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna wasn't originally part of my plan, but I came up with the idea while working on the previous chapters, and decided to write it._

 _(And in case the last chapter left you wondering: Rapunzel & Eugene were still in the art gallery when Elsa ran off and by the time they noticed something was going on, Anna had already left. They then volunteered to serve soup in the great hall. Well, actually Rapunzel volunteered both of them.)_

 **The Art of Negotiation**

"Just the outfit and the boots, yah?" Oaken asked.

Anna nervously glanced between the door and the items on the counter. While Oaken had been arguing with the ice harvester, Anna had realized that she had left the castle without any money. After all, she didn't need any money to attend a ball in her own home. In fact, she had never actually bought anything herself. The palace staff bought everything for her. Of course, she knew what money was and that people used it to buy things, but it had always been somewhat of an abstract concept for her. Now she was beginning to grasp how important money was for people who didn't live in a castle.

"So...here's the thing." Anna said. "I don't exactly have any money with me."

"No money?" Oaken asked.

"Is that a problem?" asked Anna.

"It's not a problem for me," Oaken said.

"Really?" Anna asked in surprise.

"Yah, but it is a problem for you," Oaken replied. "No money? No outfit. No boots."

"But, this is a trading post, right?" Anna asked.

"Yah." Oaken said.

"So, how about a deal?" Anna asked.

"What do you have to trade?" asked Oaken.

"Well," Anna said, looking down at her own outfit, "just this dress."

"It is a nice dress," Oaken admitted, "but who will buy it out here?"

"I will," Anna said. "I'll come buy it back. I promise."

Oaken thought for a moment. The winter outfit was the smallest adult size Oaken carried, and was only still there because it hadn't fit anyone else. He doubted he would find anyone else to buy it. Plus, the young woman really did seem to be in a desperate situation, and if she really did come buy back her old dress, he would still make money.

"Well, I can't let you go back out there dressed like that," Oaken said. "You have a deal."

"Wait a second. I also need the rest of this stuff," Anna said, motioning to everything the ice harvester left on the counter.

"Oh no, that's too much," Oaken said.

"But I need his help," Anna said, looking to the door where Oaken had thrown out the stranger. She looked down at her gown again. "I'm sure this dress was very expensive."

"Maybe it was," Oaken said, "but it looks like you've been swimming in it. It will be hard to sell if you don't come back."

"Fine," Anna took off the pendant from around her neck and held it out to him. "What about this?"

"Yah, that'll do." Oaken said, taking the pendant. He held it up and examined it. "Very nice. Where did you get it?"

"It was a gift for my sister's coronation." Anna said sadly. She really didn't want to part with it.

"Your sister is the queen?" Oaken asked in surprise. "You are Princess Anna?"

"Yes," Anna said.

"What are you doing out here in this storm?" Oaken asked.

"My sister, the queen, she ran off," Anna said. "It's all my fault, and I'm trying to find her."

Oaken's expression turned to one of sympathy.

"You can have the outfit and supplies on credit," Oaken said. "I will keep your dress and pendant safe here. When you come back to pay, I will give them back to you."

"Really?" Anna said excitedly.

"Yah, Oaken said. "Family is important. You must find your sister."

"Thank you so much!" Anna said.

Anna picked up the winter clothes and boots and went to change, grateful for Oaken's kindness. She hoped the ice harvester would turn out to be sympathetic as well.


	5. A Proper Introduction

_Here is another short scene that came to me while I was working on the earlier ones. It takes place after Anna convinces Kristoff to take her up the North Mountain, but before they leave Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna._

 **A Proper Introduction**

Anna watched as the ice harvester harnessed his reindeer to his sled. She wasn't sure if she could trust this complete stranger, but she needed a guide, and he seemed to know what he was doing.

"So, how is it that you know how to stop this winter?" he asked.

"Well...it's my sister," Anna said. "It turns out that she's got some sort of winter magic. She's responsible for this winter. She ran off and I have to find her."

"Your sister did this? Who's your sister?"

"She's... the queen," Anna said sheepishly.

"The queen? So that would make you?"

"I'm Princess Anna," she shrugged. "And you are?"

"Uh, my name is, um, Kristoff," he stammered. He wasn't expecting to be meeting a princess. "And this is Sven," he added, patting the reindeer on his back.

"Well, Kristoff and Sven, I really appreciate you helping me," Anna said with a smile. "I guess I'm lucky you're here. How come you're not down in Arendelle for the coronation?"

"We were," Kristoff said. "We delivered ice for the coronation that morning. I came back out to get more because I thought with everyone visiting Arendelle for the coronation, there would be demand for more. Apparently I thought wrong."

"I'm really sorry about that," Anna said. "But if we can find Elsa, I know I can fix everything."

"What about you?" Kristoff asked. "How did you end up all the way out here all by yourself?"

"When Elsa left last night, I immediately went after her on my horse," Anna said. "I thought I'd be able to find her and bring her right back. Then my horse ran away, but I thought Elsa couldn't be much further, so I just kept going."

"You're lucky you found the trading post," Kristoff said. "There isn't much out here."

"Yeah, I really wasn't prepared to come this far," Anna admitted. "I never thought Elsa would run all way to the North Mountain. But I'm not giving up until I find her."

"You and your sister must be really close," Kristoff said.

"Not really," said Anna. "We used to be, a long time ago. But then she shut me out of her life, without even telling me why."

"And you're still going to all this trouble to find her yourself?" Kristoff asked.

"She's my sister," Anna replied. "I would do anything for her."

Kristoff was impressed with Anna's loyalty to her sister, despite their poor relationship. It was a quality that, in his experience, was rarely found among people.

"All right, we're ready to go," Kristoff said, yanking on the harness straps to ensure they were tight. He hopped up into his seat on the sled. He watched as Anna climbed up and sat down next to him. Kristoff started to reach for the reins, but hesitated. Instead he reached behind the seat into the back of carrots and pulled one out.

"Here," Kristoff said, handing the carrot to Anna. "You've been looking for your sister since last night. You must be hungry."

"Thank you," Anna said, smiling, before taking a bite.

Sven turned around at the sound of Anna biting into the crisp carrot.

"Don't worry, Sven," Kristoff said to him. "I only gave her one. There's plenty left."

Anna tried unsuccessfully to suppress a giggle at Kristoff's remark to his reindeer. Kristoff just rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. He picked up the reins.

"OK, Sven, let's go," Kristoff said.

The powerful reindeer started to drag the sled through the fresh snow, quickly picking up speed as he led Kristoff and Anna north into the dark winter forest.


	6. Hans and the Duke

_This scene takes place after Elsa was knocked out by the chandelier, but before she wakes up. (It really seems like there should be another scene in there.) Since this is before the big twist is revealed, I tried to make Hans seem completely reasonable and not give away his true intentions, while still hinting at his real plans._

 **Hans and the Duke**

Prince Hans warmed himself in front of the fireplace in the library, considering what to do next. He had managed to quietly return the unconscious queen to the castle without the general public or even most of the palace staff noticing, and had her shackled in the dungeon for everyone's safety. He was surprised that there hadn't been more objections. The few servants that knew Hans had brought Elsa back thought she should have been taken to her room instead, but after Hans reminded them that they couldn't risk her running off again before she broke the winter curse, they all reluctantly agreed. Hans swore them to secrecy, as he was worried the people would revolt if they found out that the queen was being held in the castle.

Hans had his doubts that Elsa would remain queen, even if she brought back summer. He didn't think the people would ever be able to trust her again. She had abandoned Arendelle, and the fortress she had erected on the North Mountain made it clear that she didn't intend to return. If not for the winter curse, Hans would have been content to let her stay there, considering her to have renounced the throne and allowing Princess Anna to become queen in her place.

Hans wondered if the princess was even still alive. She had been out in the winter weather for two full days. He never should have let her leave. He had hoped that she would have found her way back to the castle by the time he returned from the North Mountain. He would have been a hero in her eyes for bringing her sister home safe. Then Elsa could bring back summer and abdicate the throne, and he and Anna could be married and rule Arendelle together. If Anna died out there in the cold, Hans wasn't sure what he would do.

At least he hadn't ended up bringing back Elsa's dead body with a bolt from a Weselton crossbow embedded in her skull. He had imprisoned the Weselton guards for their insubordination on the North Mountain. He was still silently seething over the way they had nearly ruined everything. Even if Elsa's death did end the winter curse, Anna might have broken off their engagement for not protecting her sister from such a gruesome fate, and instead of winning the hand of a princess, Hans might have found himself inadvertently responsible for drawing the Southern Isles into a bitter war between Arendelle and Weselton.

Hans knew how much of a mess things already were, and he knew he had to be careful to not make the situation even worse. As the winter storm Elsa had created continued to rage on outside, Hans braced himself for another storm he knew was inevitable.

"Prince Hans," came the angry shout of the duke of Weselton from the corridor. Hans hadn't yet told the duke what had happened on the North Mountain. Clearly the duke had just discovered that his men were locked in the dungeon.

The duke spotted Hans in the library and stormed in. "What gives you the right to arrest my men? This is an outrage! I demand you release them at once!"

"I will do no such thing," Hans replied dryly, without even turning to look at the duke. "Your men will remain where they are. In fact, I'm considering whether or not you should join them."

"What?," the duke asked in surprise. He quickly regained his composure. "Now see here..."

"No, _you_ see here," Hans interrupted, turning to face the duke for the first time. He made no attempt to hide his anger, and though he didn't raise his voice, he practically spat his words at the duke. "Your men disobeyed my direct orders that the queen was not to be harmed. When we approached Queen Elsa's fortress, we were attacked by a vicious snow beast. While the Arendelle guards and I bravely fought for our lives, your men abandoned us to attack the queen. I was nearly killed thanks to their insubordination!"

"That's preposterous!" the duke replied, trying not to lose control of the situation. "Why would anyone believe such wild accusations?"

"I have half a dozen palace guards as witnesses," Hans said, without missing a beat. "They saw everything, and believe me when I tell you that they are just as furious as I am."

"Why would my men do such a thing?" the duke asked, pretending he didn't already know.

"That is an excellent question," Hans said. "I don't suppose they would have been following your orders?" he asked accusingly.

"Certainly not," the Duke lied, taken aback. He only now realized that Hans suspected he was involved.

"Of course not," Hans said, seemingly believing the Duke, even though he knew the truth. "You wouldn't want to do anything that might jeopardize trade between Arendelle and Weselton."

"I assure you I would do no such thing," the Duke said.

"I'm relieved to hear that," Hans said in a much calmer voice. "I would be well within my authority to charge your men with treason, but I am willing to simply keep them confined until you are ready to depart, and trust that you will discipline them appropriately."

"I appreciate that, Prince Hans," the duke said. "You have my sincere apology for their behavior, and I give you my word that they will be severely punished when we return to Weselton."

"Good," Hans said. "That will help keep Weselton from facing any serious consequences from your men's actions. Although, I suppose that will ultimately be up to the queen."

"Where is Queen Elsa now?" the duke asked.

"She was knocked out on the North Mountain, and has yet to wake up," Hans replied. "I have her in her own cell in the dungeon under heavy guard, at least until I have had a chance to speak to her. I can't have her running away again before she brings back summer."

"Perhaps I should apologize to the queen in person," the duke said, hoping for an opportunity to regain the upper hand.

"I have ordered that no one be allowed to speak to the queen but me," Hans said. He shot the duke an accusatory look. "After all, there has already been one attempt on her life. And she _is_ dangerous. If I hadn't gotten to her in time and talked her down, she would have killed your men."

"So I was right," the duke exclaimed. "She is a monster!"

"I wouldn't go that far," Hand said. "Let's not forget that she was acting in self defense. Even after I calmed her down, one of your men still tried to shoot her, but fortunately I was able to keep the queen from being seriously harmed."

"You know, Prince Hans," the duke said with a suspicious tone, "you seem quite concerned with defending the queen's wicked sorcery. How do I know that you don't have an ulterior motive."

"My main concern right now is finding Princess Anna," Hans said. "She's been out there in the cold for two days. It will be much easier to find her if I can convince Queen Elsa to bring back summer."

"And if she refuses?" the duke asked.

"Then I will go out there and find Anna anyway, no matter how long it takes," Hans replied.

"I know you are engaged to marry the princess," said the duke, "but are you sure it's a good idea for you to go back out in this storm? There are others who can search for her who know the land. The princess left you in charge. You must think of Arendelle."

"I am thinking about Arendelle," Hans said. "I'm worried that after all this is over, Elsa may not be able to remain queen. Even if she ends this winter, the people may never be able to trust her. What if she runs off and abandons the kingdom again?" Hans let out a weary sigh. "It may be for the best if Elsa renounces the throne, and allows Anna to become queen."

"But what if Princess Anna is never found? What if she's already..." the duke let his voice trail off, but Hans knew what he meant.

"That would truly be a tragic loss," Hans said sadly. Though he knew Anna's death was possible, he hadn't really considered what he might do if she did. He sighed. "In that sad event, I trust that I would have your support to do what is best for Arendelle."

"Of course, Prince Hans," the duke replied.

The duke excused himself and left Hans standing in front of the fire, staring out the window at the winter storm, contemplating what kind of future he would have if Anna never returned.


	7. Anna Finally Understands

_This takes place as Kristoff rushes Anna back to Arendelle._

 **Anna Finally Understands**

The icy wind stung Anna's face. She was wrapped in her winter cloak in the arms of Kristoff, who was on Sven's back as the reindeer ran full speed toward Arendelle. Olaf the snowman clung to Kristoff's back. Anna shivered uncontrollably. She was so cold. She hoped the ice harvester and his reindeer would get her back to Hans in time.

Anna fingered one of her braids with her mittened hand. It was her right braid. It had always had a streak of white hair, but now it was almost completely white. Anna couldn't even tell where the original white streak had been. Since Elsa had struck her, all of her red hair was rapidly fading to the same snowlike tone.

Suddenly, Anna had a chilling thought. She tried to dismiss it as impossible. It was too hard to believe. But the idea stayed with her, quickly becoming all she could think about. It made sense. Grand Pabbie had seemed to recognize her, and knew what had happened without being told. How else could he have known?

"Kristoff..." Anna said weakly.

"Don't worry, Anna," Kristoff said. "You're going to be okay. We'll make it."

"You said you saw the trolls help someone before," Anna said. "It was me, wasn't it?"

Kristoff hadn't even considered that Anna was the same girl he had seen Grand Pabbie save when he was a boy. From his point of view, discovering the trolls that took him in was the more meaningful part of the memory. He thought back on that night. It was a long time ago. He remembered the strange trail of ice he had followed, and that it had turned out to be the king and queen who had led him to the valley. He remembered the scared little blond girl, and the unconscious redhead wrapped in a blanket in the queen's arms. He realized Anna was right.

"I hadn't thought about it before," Kristoff said, "but you're right. It must have been you."

Anna let the realization sink in. Elsa had struck her before, when they were just little girls. She couldn't remember it, but it had to be true. She had been lied to her whole life, all to keep Elsa's powers a secret. It explained everything: the white streak in her hair, her dreams about trolls, even why Elsa had tried to shut her out of her life. But Anna knew there had to be more to it. Even after the secret was out, Elsa kept trying to push her away.

Anna suddenly had another realization. She had thought she understood why Elsa had ran away, but she had been wrong all along. Elsa wasn't simply trying to keep her powers a secret because she was afraid of what people would think. Elsa was trying to protect her from them. Elsa was afraid of hurting her again, so she stayed away. Elsa loved her so much that she isolated herself and sacrificed her own happiness...for her...because it was the only way Elsa thought she could keep her safe. Anna knew that if she had known about Elsa's powers, she would have tried to help, just as she did at the ice palace. Considering how that had worked out, she couldn't blame Elsa for keeping her powers a secret for all those years.

Anna wondered if Elsa had been right all along. As much as she hated to consider it, maybe they really couldn't be together. After all, it hadn't taken very long for Elsa to lose control. Anna never thought Elsa would hurt her, but she had, twice. Even if Elsa hadn't meant to hurt her, Anna's life was still in danger. Maybe it really was for the best if Elsa stayed away, alone in her ice palace, forever.

Anna just couldn't accept that she might never see her sister again, and that Elsa was destined to spend the rest of her life in isolation. Now that Anna finally understood, there had to be something she could do. There had to be a way for them to be together without the fear that Elsa might hurt her. Anna realized that there was a way. A kiss from Hans would thaw her frozen heart and save her life. Maybe once Elsa knew that they could reverse the effects of her powers, she wouldn't be afraid anymore and she could come back to Arendelle.

Anna pulled her cloak tighter, trying to hold on to what little heat she could. She felt so helpless. Her future, and Elsa's too, depended on her getting back to Arendelle, but it was out of her hands. There was nothing she could do but trust that Kristoff and Sven would get her there before it was too late. It was all up to them.


	8. Anna's Despair

_This takes place just before Olaf finds Anna in the library. Though it wasn't directly inspired by it, it makes me think about Anna's part of the deleted Life's Too Short Reprise. I had a hard time settling on a title for this one._

 **Anna's Despair**

Anna huddled on the floor of the library, shivering under her cloak. She had never imagined that she could ever feel so cold. And she just kept getting colder. Her feet had gone numb, and she couldn't wiggle her toes anymore. She was also losing sensation in her fingertips. She tried to breathe on her hands to warm them, but even her breath felt cold. She was so weak that she could barely move. She couldn't even call out loudly enough to get the attention of anyone on the other side of the locked door.

Anna knew there wasn't much time. Her hair was completely white now. The trolls had warned her that without an act of true love, she would freeze. Any doubts she had about that were gone. She was going to die. She just couldn't believe she was going to die like this, all alone, on the floor of her own home.

She remembered the excitement she felt on coronation day. It felt like her whole life was waiting for her. The years of isolation were over, and there were people to meet and a whole world to see. It had only been a few days, but now it felt so long ago. She wondered how it all could have gone so wrong.

It was all her fault. If she hadn't become infatuated with Hans, none of this would have happened. She realized Elsa had been right about at least one thing. Anna didn't know anything about true love. Now, true love was her only chance, and she didn't even know what it was. She thought it was what she'd had with Hans, but she had been so wrong. It had been nothing but lies and her own naive fantasies. That was all she ever had. Now, it was all she would ever have.

Anna wondered if Elsa would be able to stop Hans from taking over Arendelle. It wouldn't be a question of ability. Anna was certain that Hans was no match for Elsa's powers. But Hans was clever and manipulative, and Elsa didn't know that he couldn't be trusted. If Elsa wasn't careful, Hans might be able to kill her without her even seeing it coming. Then Anna realized that either way, by the time it was over it would be too late for her anyway. She would already be gone.

Anna was scared. She didn't want to die. She hadn't really been afraid before. She had believed that no matter what happened, somehow everything would work out in the end. But now, all her hopes had faded away, and there was nothing she could do but wait for the inevitable. She wondered what it would feel like, and if there would be anything... more. She had been told that there was, and she had always believed it, but now she found herself questioning if it was really true. She hoped it was. She hoped she would see her parents again. She missed them so much. If only they were here, she was sure they would know what to do. Of course, if they were still here, they never would have let any of this happen in the first place. She felt like she was letting them down. Actually, she was letting everyone down. She felt like breaking down in tears, but she was too cold to cry.

Anna wished she could see Elsa one last time. She wanted to tell her that she finally understood that she just wanted to protect her. She wanted to tell her that she loved her. She didn't want Elsa to doubt that. And she wanted to tell Elsa that it wasn't her fault. She didn't want Elsa to blame herself. She wanted to believe that someday Elsa would find happiness again. Anna though about her first glimpse of Elsa at the ice palace. For that one fleeting moment, Elsa wasn't just happy; she seemed completely at peace with herself and her powers, as if she had finally become the person she was meant to be. Anna hadn't realized at the time just how precariously fragile it all was. She hoped that Elsa would be able to get that feeling back and hold onto it forever.

Out of the corner of her eye, Anna noticed frost slowly spreading across the ceiling. She realized the storm outside had intensified. All of Arendelle would soon be completely frozen solid, just like Anna was about to be, and she couldn't do anything to stop it.

Suddenly, the handle on the door started to rattle. Someone was on the other side, trying to get through. Anna had no idea who it was, but she felt the slightest glimmer of hope come back to her.


	9. Return to the Ice Palace

_Anna's Despair was the last idea I had for scenes during the movie, but I didn't want to end on such a sad moment, so here is an epilogue. This takes place after Frozen but before Frozen Fever. Thanks for reading, and please look for my new Frozen story, Freezing Reign._

 **Return to the Ice Palace**

Anna was squeezed between Elsa and Kristoff on the seat of the sled as Sven pulled them up the North Mountain. She may not have been very comfortable, but at least she was relatively warm. She still had trouble accepting that Elsa was comfortable sitting next to her in only her thin blue gown. Just thinking about it made Anna shiver, and she had to keep reminding herself that the cold never bothered Elsa.

Elsa had wanted to visit her ice palace for a long time. She knew how it had been left when Hans brought her back to Arendelle, and every day she thought of it and it saddened her, knowing the damage that had been done to it. It was very personal to her, almost as if it was a part of her, and she wouldn't really be herself until it was fixed. Since it was cold enough on the mountain that the palace might stand forever, Elsa wanted it to be intact. But whenever she mentioned to Anna that she wanted to go to the ice palace, Anna quickly tried to change the subject. Finally, Elsa was adamant about going, and Anna insisted on coming along. Deep down, Anna was afraid that if Elsa went back to her ice palace alone, she might just decide to stay there. She wasn't going to let Elsa return to the ice palace without her.

"Are we there yet?" Olaf said, popping up between Anna and Kristoff from the back of the sled.

"Almost," Kristoff replied.

"That's what you said last time," Olaf countered. "How much longer?"

"We'll get there when we get there," Kristoff said.

"Go faster, Sven!" Olaf yelled to the reindeer.

"You don't tell him what to do," Kristoff said defensively. "I do."

"Olaf, just relax and enjoy the ride," Anna said. "We'll be there before you know it."

"But there's nothing to do," Olaf said.

"Why don't you look at the clouds and see if any of them remind you of anything?" Anna suggested.

"Okay!" Olaf said excitedly as he disappeared into the back of the sled. "Hey, that one looks like a cloud!"

Anna turned to her sister. Elsa had been very quiet. She was staring off into the distance, though Anna couldn't see that she was looking at anything in particular.

"Are you okay?" Anna asked.

"I'm fine," Elsa replied, though it had taken a second for her to realize that Anna was talking to her. "It's just... I'm a little nervous."

"Why are you nervous?"

"I remember what happened up there," Elsa said with a sigh, "but then I was knocked out, so I haven't really seen how much damage there is. Its... a very special place for me, Anna. I don't really want to see it like that."

"You don't have to. We can turn back."

"No, Anna, I do," Elsa said, resuming her vacant gaze. "It makes me sad to think about it the way it is. I have to fix it."

A few minutes later, they came around a curve of the trail and the ice palace came into view. As they approached the staircase, the excited snowman jumped out of the back of the sled and ran toward it.

"Olaf, wait," Anna called after him as Kristoff had Sven bring the sled to a stop.

"But we're finally here!" Olaf said looking back at her while still running forward.

"Just wait for us, okay?" Anna said.

"Okay," Olaf replied with a disappointed tone in his voice as he stopped at the foot of the staircase.

Kristoff hopped off of the sled and helped Anna down from his side. They walked up to Sven and Kristoff produced a carrot. Sven took a large bite, covering the carrot in his saliva. Kristoff took a bite himself and silently offered the carrot to Anna.

"Uhh... No thanks, I'm good," Anna said, slightly disgusted. She still couldn't believe Kristoff shared carrots with Sven like that.

"More for us then," Kristoff said with a shrug. "Right, buddy?"

"That's right," Kristoff answered in Sven's voice. He took another bite of the carrot and gave the rest to the reindeer.

"Well, here we are," Anna said. She turned to her sister. "Are you coming, Elsa?"

Elsa hesitated. She stared at the palace for a moment before slowly getting off the sled and walking toward the staircase without taking her eyes off of it. She stopped at the foot of the staircase. Her eyes shifted as she took in all the exterior damage, from the broken railing of the staircase to the ruins of her balcony. Anna came up behind her and noticed that she looked like she was about to cry.

"It really doesn't look that bad," Anna said, trying to make Elsa feel better. Elsa just sighed. She knew the inside would be much worse.

Snow had been blown onto the steps by the wind. With a wave of her hand, Elsa conjured a cold gust that cleared away the snow, leaving behind the icy staircase. Elsa started up the stairs, her left hand on the intact railing. When she reached the broken part of the railing, she reached out her right hand as if she were reaching for the railing and the railing reformed as it had been originally. Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff followed Elsa up the stairs. Kristoff inspected the rebuilt railing and discovered he couldn't tell where the original railing ended and the newly rebuild railing began.

At the top of the stairs, the doors to the palace were open, as Hans and the Arendelle guards hadn't bothered to close them. The inside of the palace was full of snow that had blown in through the open doors.

"Stand back," Elsa said to the others as they reached the top of the stairs. With a twist of her wrist, a cyclone formed inside the palace, drawing up all of the accumulated snow and blowing it out though the open doors and into the crevasse.

Elsa led the others into the palace. She looked around with a momentary sense of satisfaction. The main floor now looked just as it should. The frozen fountain and the interior staircases were still intact. She was relieved that Hans hadn't gone out of his way to destroy things.

"See, that wasn't so bad," Anna said.

Elsa looked pensively up the stairs. She knew the worst was still yet to come. She had never told Anna all the details about what happened, just that she had been attacked and that she was knocked out. Anna had already been through so much; Elsa didn't want to upset her. She slowly started up the stairs. Anna had noticed her reluctance and followed in silence, leaving Kristoff and Olaf behind.

As Elsa climbed the staircase, she began to find snow on the steps that had blown in through the open doorway to the balcony. With a wave of her hand, a gust of cold air blew the snow from the steps and carried it on ahead. The wind was strong enough to blow the loose snow out of the room upstairs as well.

Elsa felt a chill as she reached the top of the stairs, but it wasn't from the cold. She felt a brief pang of terror like when the Duke's men attacked her. She had to remind herself that it was all in the past and she was safe now. She took a deep breath and continued forward to get her first look at the room. The loose snow had been blown out of the room, but the shards from the chandelier still littered the floor, and the jagged spires of ice remained in place around the room. The doorway to the balcony gaped open, with the huge doors lying in pieces outside. A spiked wall of ice stood on the edge of the balcony. Elsa slowly walked toward the center of the room, stepping carefully to avoid stepping on any of the icy shards. She heard Anna gasp behind her and turned around.

Anna hadn't been sure what to expect, but she hadn't been prepared for what she found. The haphazard shapes scattered around the room were a stark contrast with the smooth, orderly lines of the palace she had seen during her first visit. On her left, she spotted a series of ice spikes jutting out of the floor and into the wall. A few of them had been broken, but most were intact. They reminded her of the spikes Elsa had accidentally created out of fear at the coronation ball. She remembered the look on Elsa's face before she fled, a mix of horror and shame.

"Elsa..." Anna whispered as their eyes met. She wanted to say something more, but she couldn't find any words.

After a moment, Elsa turned away again. Anna noticed that something seemed to have caught Elsa's eye. She followed her gaze and saw it. An arrow was embedded in one of the spires of ice. She watched as Elsa slowly approached it. She tentatively reached out to touch the arrowhead. Her hand trembled as she came close to it, as if she expected the arrow to suddenly free itself from the ice and continue its trajectory. Finally, her fingertips touched the arrow.

"This was it," Elsa said softly, as her fingers curled around the shaft of the arrow. "I almost died right here."

"Hans..." Anna muttered as she approached her sister.

"No, not Hans," Elsa said. "The Duke's men. I begged them to stop; I didn't know what I would do. I didn't want to hurt anyone. They didn't listen. I didn't try to stop the arrow. It happened too fast. There wasn't time to think. My powers... they just reacted... like instinct. I just wanted to be left alone, but they wouldn't stop, so I fought back. At first, it was just desperation, but the more they resisted, the angrier I got, and eventually that anger took over."

Elsa turned and focused on the cluster of ice spikes that pierced the wall.

"I pinned one of them against the wall," Elsa continued. "I thought that would be enough, but the other one didn't back down." She turned toward the gaping opening leading to the balcony. "I forced him out onto the balcony. I had almost pushed him over the edge when Hans got to me and talked me down." Elsa's voice cracked as her eyes started to well up with tears. "If Hans hadn't gotten to me when he did, I... I think I would have killed them, Anna." With tears rolling down her cheeks, Elsa looked back at her sister. "I was so close to crossing a line I could never come back from." Elsa started to regain her composure and wiped away the tears. "I know you think I let Hans off easy by just sending him home, and I know he was going to kill me to take over Arendelle, but, in a way, he saved me from becoming the monster everyone feared."

"Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" Anna asked.

"I was scared," Elsa admitted. "I was afraid that if you knew what I did and saw how close I came, you might think I really am a monster."

"Elsa, how could I ever think that?" Anna said. "You're my sister, and I will always love you. Nothing will ever change that."

Elsa smiled. Anna walked toward her and wrapped her arms around her sister.

"I love you too, Anna," Elsa said as the two sisters embraced.

"Hey, what's going on up here?" came the cheerful voice of Olaf. Anna and Elsa turned to see the snowman running toward them from the stairs. "You guys disappeared and I wondered what happened to you."

"We're fine, Olaf," Elsa said.

"Wow!" Olaf said, looking around. "This place is a mess!"

"I think Elsa was just about to change that," Anna replied.

Elsa stepped to the exact center of the room. After a reassuring nod from Anna, Elsa stomped her right foot, and her power shuddered across the floor, disintegrating the chandelier shards and ice formations to leave behind a perfectly smooth sheet of ice. With a wave of her hands, Elsa rebuilt the doors to the balcony and the railing outside. Finally, Elsa looked up at the ceiling. She raised her hands above her head and with a loud blast a new chandelier exploded from the center of the domed ceiling.

"Oooooooooooooooooh," Olaf said in awe, while Anna stared in silence.

"That was incredible," Anna said, finally finding her voice. "Your powers really are amazing."

Anna and Elsa watched Olaf as he starting running toward the balcony. He passed by the arrow, which was now lying on the floor. Anna followed Olaf out onto the balcony, but Elsa paused to pick up the arrow before joining Anna who was looking out over the railing. Elsa came up beside her but instead of looking at the view as Anna was, Elsa was staring at the arrow in her hands. It took a moment before Anna noticed the arrow.

"What are you going to do with that?" Anna asked.

"I don't know," Elsa replied. "It almost killed me. I don't want it, but..."

"Let it go," Anna said.

"What?" Elsa asked, giving Anna a quizzical look.

"Let it go," Anna repeated.

Elsa hesitated for a second, then she released her grip on the arrow and let it fall into the canyon below. Anna reached out and took Elsa's hand. They stood together in silence, enjoying the peaceful view.

"Hey, what's that," Olaf said suddenly, looking out from the edge of the balcony.

"What's what?" Anna asked as she and Elsa came closer.

"That!" Olaf replied, pointing across the chasm with his stick arm. Anna squinted, trying to see what Olaf saw. She saw a tiny twinkle in the snow. The sunlight was glinting off of something.

"I'm going to go see what it is," Olaf said, running back into the palace toward the stairs.

"Olaf, wait a minute," Anna shouted, chasing after him.

Elsa started to follow them, but she was in no rush. As she stepped back inside the palace, she paused to close the doors to the balcony behind her. She took a look around the room, which now looked just like it did when she built it. She sighed with a satisfied smile on her face, and headed down the stairs.

Anna and Kristoff chased Olaf out the front doors of the palace and down the stairs. The little snowman was surprising fast on the smooth ice, but once he got to the bottom of the stairs and into the snow his short legs slowed him down, allowing them to catch up.

"Slow down, Olaf," Kristoff shouted.

"But..." Olaf stammered as he stopped and turned around. "I want to see what that is."

"Let's see what it is together, okay?" Anna said as she and Kristoff caught up to the snowman.

"Okay," Olaf replied.

"What are you looking for?" Elsa asked, coming up behind them.

"Yeah, what _are_ we looking for?" Kristoff asked.

"I'm not sure," Anna said. "Olaf just saw something shiny."

"Well, let's find out what it is," Kristoff said. "Go on, Olaf, lead the way."

Olaf led them through the snow until they came across what he had spotted. Sitting upright on top of a mound of snow was Elsa's crown from her coronation.

"Elsa, look," Anna said, pointing. "It's your crown! How did it end up here?"

Elsa stared in disbelief. She didn't think she would ever see the crown again. She had impulsively thrown it away in a dramatic moment of intense emotion when she thought the responsibility of the throne meant that she couldn't express herself. Once she realized that she didn't have to give up the throne to be herself, she had regretted losing the crown. She was relieved to find it, but she was also confused. It didn't make any sense for the crown to just be sitting upright out in the open. It should have been covered by the snow that had fallen on the mountain since it landed there.

Anna stepped forward to reach for the crown. Suddenly, the mound of snow started to shake and rise up out of the ground, revealing itself to actually be a giant snowman with Elsa's crown on top of its head. It looked at Anna and growled with recognition.

"Marshmallow!" Olaf exclaimed with excitement as Anna backed away nervously.

"It's okay," Elsa said, stepping forward. She smiled at Olaf's name for the giant. She had never thought of a name for him herself. She looked up at Marshmallow and their eyes met. Marshmallow recognized his creator and his demeanor softened.

"See," Elsa said. "He won't hurt you. He just wants to protect me."

Marshmallow took a cautious step towards Elsa and she noticed he was limping. She looked over his legs in search of the cause of the limp and saw that his left leg had been sliced off and Marshmallow had clumsily reattached it.

"You poor thing," Elsa said with sympathy. "Here, let me help you."

With a wave of her hand, Elsa used her powers to heal Marshmallow's leg. Marshmallow looked at his healed leg and wiggled it around, trying it out. He smiled at Elsa.

"There, that's better, isn't it?" Elsa said.

Marshmallow stared at Elsa for a moment, then he reached up with both of his massive arms and gently lifted the crown from his head. He offered the crown to Elsa in gratitude. Elsa took the crown and held it in her hands, staring at it before looking up at Marshmallow with tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"Thank you," Elsa said to Marshmallow. Then she suddenly had an idea. "You know, as long as you're going to be up here, you're welcome to live in the ice palace. It will make me happy to know that you are looking after it."

As Marshmallow grinned down at Elsa, Anna stepped forward.

"He's really not scary after all," Anna said to Elsa with a smile.

"No, he's not," Elsa agreed.

Anna thought about her fear that Elsa would choose to stay in the ice palace if she returned alone. Seeing Elsa using her powers freely, she realized that she didn't want to be keeping her sister from something that would make her happy. Even though she was scared of what the answer might be, Anna had to know what Elsa really wanted.

"Elsa..." Anna said hesitantly. "You seem so comfortable here. Is this where you would choose to stay?"

"Oh, Anna, of course not," Elsa replied. "I never _wanted_ to be alone. I only ran away up here to protect everyone... to protect _you_... from my powers. But just because the cold doesn't bother me, that doesn't mean I want to give up the warmth. I always wanted us to be together."

"And now we always will be," Anna said, smiling with relief.


End file.
